keep the blade
by evelinaonline
Summary: It's Monday night, Ben's out of books to read, and sometimes, Diego doesn't think before he acts.


**Based on a Tumblr Request: "Diego throwing scissors".**

**(aka, this is another request that went way too far, but I lowkey love it now.)**

**Big thanks to my friends Ariel, Jena and Orion for beta-ing this. Hope you guys like it!**

**Ariel: aelisheva (AO3)**

**Jena: bookworm5546 (AO3)**

**Orion: Warmhandscoldheart (AO3)**

* * *

"So are you coming or not?"

Diego didn't usually sneak out on Monday nights. He got special training on Tuesdays, so he spent the first night of the week sleeping as much as he could. Even _he_ knew how grumpy he got when he was tired.

This Monday was an exception.

It was a decision made entirely on impulse. Ben was dying to know what happened next in the book he had just finished, and for some reason Diego was feeling extra generous and suggested they go pick it up from the store once everyone had gone to bed.

So there he was, knocking on Ben's door, at eleven o'clock on a Monday night, only to be faced with a very hesitant Number Six.

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Ben said, his eyes travelling everywhere but Diego's face. "What if we get caught?"

"We won't!"

"How can you be so sure?" Ben asked. "It's not like Five can teleport us away from trouble like old times."

Diego felt his heart tighten. The last time they'd all sneaked out together was days before Five's disappearance. It had been almost a year, and yet it felt only a day away. Diego shook the thought off, hoping Ben didn't notice his hesitance.

"Ben," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I promise you, we'll be in and out."

They sneaked out from the back door—always unlocked and unwatched, Pogo had done his part in it—and found themselves walking down the empty street in no time.

It was dark and cold, so Two and Six had buried their faces into their hoodies, not exchanging a word. Diego didn't mind. He liked the quiet. Maybe Ben did too—he probably did.

A few minutes out, and suddenly Diego stopped hearing his brother's footsteps next to him. Confused, he turned around, only to see that Ben had stopped a few feet behind.

"Ben, what are you—"

"Shops close at ten."

_Shit._

Diego groaned loudly, without the fear of being heard like in the mansion. Ben caught up to him, but Diego refused to look at him. He had just dragged him out of the house for nothing, missing out on his much needed bed time.

He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He was such a moron.

"Let's just go back," he said.

"Hold on a sec."

"I know, I-I'm sorry, I should've thought of that before even mentio—_mentioning_ the idea of—"

"Diego, shut up and look!"

Diego blinked an eye open only to see Ben pointing at the block across the street with his finger, where the bookstore was. As opposed to every other store on the street, there was a dim light coming out of it, which meant—

"Someone is there!" Ben said excitedly.

Diego's first reaction was to sigh in relief. They hadn't gone out in the cold for nothing, after all. It only took him a second to realise something was odd about that light.

The light moved. Just like a flashlight would.

"I don't think they're open for business," Diego mumbled, turning around to look at Ben who just nodded back at him.

Diego bit his lip, reaching for the knife in his pocket, and handing it to Ben. "What's this about?" Ben asked.

"To protect yourself."

"We're _going in?!"_

"Someone's gotta lock up."

Ben sighed, but didn't argue. "Well, I don't need your knife to protect myself."

"I take it you're in the mood to summon The Horror then?"

Diego thought he might have heard Ben mutter something under his breath, but he wasn't sure; he had already crossed the street, soon to be followed by Ben. They stopped in front of the door, kneeling down so whoever was inside wouldn't see them.

"We go in, kick his ass, go back out," Diego whispered. He wasn't going to lie, he loved being the one giving the orders for once, and Ben didn't really seem to mind.

"In and out…" Ben repeated and nodded a few seconds later. "Ready when you are."

Diego hummed and slipped quietly through the already open door, so that the little bell above it wouldn't jingle. Ben got in the same way with no problem.

They hid themselves behind a bookshelf. It only took them a second to spot the intruder behind the main counter, taking cash out of the register. Judging by his build, he looked like a relatively young man, but there was no telling for sure yet. _Always expect the unexpected,_ their father had told them over and over again.

The man yelped as some coins slipped out of his hands, filling the room with a ringing sound. He went on his knees to pick them up, giving Diego and Ben the perfect opening. This was their chance. _His_ chance.

Diego immediately sprung into action, walking over to where the register was, and leaning his back against it. He looked at the other side, catching glimpse of a very worried and disappointed Ben shaking his head at him.

'_What are you doing?' _Ben signed furiously. '_Turn back, you're going to get caught.'_

Diego shrugged. He had this under control.

Ben clearly wasn't having it though, because just as he was about to make another not-so-friendly gesture at Diego, he bumped on one of the displays, and a pencil case full of office supplies fell to the ground, making a sound even louder than the coins.

Diego didn't even have time to glare at Ben, because his brother had hidden himself into the shadows long before the pens and pencils had collided with the ground.

The intruder certainly did hear it though. All of it.

Diego had no picture of what was going on behind him, but he could hear enough to piece it together; pissed asshole who got scared shitless was coming out of the counter.

_Okay Diego,_ Diego thought to himself. _It's showtime. You've got this._

One footstep.

_In a second._

Two.

_Just one more…_

Three.

_Go time!_

Number Two reached for his pocket and stood on his feet, thrusting his hand forward to throw—

Nothing.

Diego looked at his hands puzzled, before remembering that _he'd given his only knife to Ben just a few moments ago._

"Oops." So much for expecting the unexpected.

He sprinted to the other side of the store, and it wasn't long before the man followed behind him. _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…_ How could he have messed this up so badly?

Diego reached the end of the hallway and looked around him frantically before his eyes fell on a scissors container. _Bingo._ He grabbed a few and aimed for the man's arm, he'd finally gotten him exactly where he wanted, he'd _won—_

"Aim all you want, but you ain't doing anything with these plastic pieces of shit, kid."

"Dammit!" Diego hissed and made another turn. Where the hell was Ben? _And how big was this freaking bookstore?!_

Panic started to build up in Diego's chest, turn after turn, hallway after hallway, turn after hallway, hallway after turn, hallway after a turn after a hallway and turn after a turn after another _godamn turn—_

He didn't remember being forced on his back, but apparently he was, being held by the bigger, stronger, man on the floor. This was it. Diego was going to die and he hadn't even been leader yet. He'd given up glaring at his attacker, too confused, too _scared _to do it, to do anything, too—

"_AUGH!"_

The man dropped to his side, his arms reaching for his back as he hissed over and over.

Diego blinked in confusion.

"You're welcome, by the way."

_Ben._

He stood up as soon as he realised, locking eyes with his brother. Ben looked surprisingly calm for someone who had just stabbed a man in the shoulder, and Diego didn't know whether he should be unsettled or grateful.

"W-We should—"

"I already called the police," Ben said. "So we should probably get out of here, unless you want Dad to find out about our exit."

Soon enough, they were out in the streets again, walking silently in the same way they did when their night began. Diego was holding the grip of his knife as tight as he could in his hoodie's pocket. He hadn't let go since they left the bookstore.

"I can't believe you threw plastic scissors at him."

Diego flinched and looked at Ben. "Y-You saw that?!"

"No," Ben said, "but I saw the scissors on the ground when we left."

"Wait, what were you doing by that hallway?"

Ben bit his lip to hold back a smile and took a book out of his backpack. Diego squinted his eyes to focus on the title.

"_The Da Vinci Code… _by _Dan Brown_… And that's a sequel, how?" Diego asked, although he was still confused about how he hadn't noticed Ben grabbing the book.

"Well, the first book is called _Angels and Demons,"_ Ben said, putting his new book back in his bag. "The events aren't really related, but I heard there was a new one by the same author and… You know me."

"That I do," Diego said and shook his head.

They walked for a bit more, until the smile that had formed on Diego's face faded away, and his thoughts ran back to the incident. Had it not been for Ben, he would have been seriously hurt.

"Thank you," he said without quite realising it himself. "F-For before. I don't know what I would have done i-if you hadn't—hadn't shown up a-and… I—"

"It's okay," Ben said, and Diego was kinda grateful he shut him up. "You would have done the same for me."

"A-And I'm also sorry," Diego said. This time, Ben didn't stop him. "I should have listened to you when you said this wasn't a good idea."

No response.

"And when you said you didn't need my knife."

No response again.

"And when you signed at me to turn back from the counter."

That seemed to do it. "Forgiven," Ben mumbled. "But _don't—" _He stopped walking, and looked at Diego. "Don't do that again. Please."

Diego opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he nodded, and Ben looked satisfied enough to continue walking. Diego didn't.

"But only if you don't mention it to Luther?"

Ben chuckled but didn't stop walking. "Deal!"

_Thank you,_ Diego thought. He took his knife out of his pocket and looked at it. Although they'd cleaned the blood off, the image of that man had not left Diego's mind.

No, not the man; _Ben, _stabbing him with no hesitation, for Diego. Maybe it was because he was so used to seeing Ben mourn for those he hurt without his will, but the image didn't sit well with Diego. Was that how Number Six felt about everyone else when they attacked others? About himself?

For the last time that night, Diego shook his thoughts off. He sprinted till he caught up with Ben, and this time none of them stopped walking until they reached home, to the unlocked back door.

* * *

**Shoutout to all three of my betas who yelled at me for using the phrase "Ben was dying to know what happened next". I love you guys.**

**In other words, this was super fun to write! Originally it was going to be a really small thing, but... Well, you know me. At least I'm slowly working on my requests, right...?**

**And speaking of requests, you can send them to me on tumblr (evelinaonline). (And I also have a Ko-fi (evelinaonline) now, to help me pay for college!)**

**See you all next story, love you!**


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